Attacks against AI systems are a growing concern

Cyber attackers currently focus most of their efforts on manipulating existing artificial intelligence (AI) systems for malicious purposes, instead of creating new attacks that use machine learning. That is the key finding of a report by the Sherpa consortium, an EU-funded project founded in 2018 to study the impact of AI on ethics and human rights, supported by 11 organisations in six countries, including the UK. However, the report notes that attackers have access to machine learning techniques, and AI-enabled cyber attacks will be a reality soon, according to Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at IT security company F-Secure, a member of the Sherpa consortium. The continuing game of "cat and mouse" between attackers and defenders will reach a whole new level when both sides are using AI, said Hypponen, and defenders will have to adapt quickly as soon as they see the first AI-enabled attacks emerging. But despite the claims of some security suppliers, Hypponen told Computer Weekly in a recent interview that no criminal groups appear to be using AI to conduct cyber attacks.